K2 SideShow Skis 2012

K2 SideShow Skis 2012: The new K2 SlideShow Skis are for the skier who spends more time on firm snow, be it in bounds or out. With a Metal Laminate and a tighter sidecut you will be etching laser sharp arcs on rock hard boiler plate, and with All-Terrain Rocker the SideShow still holds its own in powder. Remember, a 90mm waist used to be thought of as a powder ski. Make the K2 SideShow Skis your hardpack skis, everyday skis, or use them as a high performance touring ski since they are surprisingly lightweight.

Shape

All-Terrain Rocker™ is designed for all snow conditions, featuring an elevated tip for variable and soft snow performance with camber underfoot for power, energy, and edge-hold in firmer conditions.

Progressive Sidecut is a combination of two different radii that enhances the versatility of wider-waist skis. This guarantees improved turn initiation and hard-snow performance.

Construction

Hybritech Sidewalls are a unique blend of sidewall and cap constructions that combine the accuracy, power, and performance of sidewall underfoot with the lightweight characteristics and smooth turn initiation of cap construction.

Tip/Tail Hardware - removable plugs reveal holes that can be used to attach K2 Pre-Cut Skins or build a rescue sled

Flex

Aspen and Paulownia core: Aspen is solid and dense; Paulownia is an eco-friendly, fast-growing renewable wood that is incredibly strong and lightweight.

Metal TNC Laminate consists of 2 sheets of lightweight Titanal running the length of the ski. Alternating layers of fiberglass and Titanal sandwich the wood core to provide dampened, accurate, and unshakable performance.

Binding Compatibility

We recommend a brake width that is equal to the ski waist width and at most 15 mm wider.

Specs

Terrain:All-Mountain, Alpine Touring, Carving

All-Mountain

All-mountain skis are designed to handle anything you throw at them including powder, ice, groomers, steeps, heavy snow, and everything in between, but they aren’t necessarily a master of any one terrain. If you’re only going to own one ski to do it all, this is what you want. All-mountain skis generally have what we call mid-fat waists that range from 80-110 mm.

Alpine Touring

Also known as backcountry skis, alpine touring (AT) skis are designed for going uphill as well as downhill. These skis are typically light for their width and many feature fittings that accept climbing skins. AT skis vary in width and weight, with the wider heavier versions usually used for winter/deep snow touring and the skinnier, lighter skis usually used for spring/summer/long distance touring.

Carving

For those that like the classic feeling of laying a ski over on edge and arcing a perfect turn, carving skis are what you want. These skis have narrower waists and shorter turn radii for edge to edge quickness and responsive turn initiation and exit on groomed runs and hard pack. The beginner-intermediate skis in this category are designed to make learning how to turn as easy as going from pizza to French fries.

Ability Level:Intermediate-Advanced

Intermediate-Advanced

The majority of skiers/snowboarders fall into this level, whether you like to carve on groomers or venture into the powder. These skis/snowboards may be somewhat wider than beginner-intermediate skis, usually with a stronger wood core and sandwich sidewall construction. Depending on the type of ski, intermediate-advanced level skis may have full camber, rocker, or some combination of the two.

Rocker Type:Rocker/Camber

Rocker/Camber

Rocker/Camber skis pair a traditional cambered profile underfoot with an elongated, early rise tip borrowed from fully rockered skis. This profile places the front contact point further back from the tip, while the rear contact point remains close to the tail. The rockered tip allows for better flotation and less edge catch for increased float in deep snow, while the cambered rear stores and transmits energy similarly to a fully cambered ski.

Turning Radius:Medium

Medium

17-22 m radius is best for all-mountain and park & pipe.

Core/Laminates:Wood

Tail Type:Flat

Flat

This is your traditional tail, designed to have edge contact all the way through the tail, and only designed for skiing forward. This is also preferred for alpine touring, as you can stick the tails of your skis in the snow.

I demo'd 4 different pairs of skis last year and found the sideshows the best. As an old time skier (narrow stance) the 90mm waist was better than the hardside. Ski's held a nice edge on morning icey patches but did equally as well on the warm snow in the afternoon. I highly recommend em.

I marked light and heavy because they are light for alpine skis and on the heavy side for touring. I bought these for volcano skiing after trying a bunch of superlight skis and always being dissapionted on the descent. These arent the lightest but they deliver the goods on the way down.

Bomber ski - lightweight but still stiff and enough sidecut to carve GS turns. 188 was still nimble enough through tight trees. Early rise helped in 4ft of fresh, although I would rather be on something a little fatter. Flat tail and skin clip groove were great for touring. These excelled the most ripping fast turns down the steeps of Mt. Washington in spring corn.

I mounted these with Rotafella NTN freeride and have taken them out on groomed mountain in Colorado. They are very stable. They ski shorter than I thought they would. They are a bit heavy, but also very stable and forgiving on hard terrain. They are good for what they were designed and advertised for. I am very happy.

Got these skis for some rocker/camber mix and just tested them out at Jackson Hole and Big Sky on some 22 Designs new Vice tele bindings. With 7" of new pow pow, the side stashes floated like a feather and carved tightly and effortlessly all day long. Great for quick turns because of the camber, not as slippery as all rocker boards (made them great in the trees). They carve easily on groomers too--very suitable for regular alpine or telemark and they chew up the crud well.

As a former mogul skier that competed in the USSA Rocky mountain region I was a bit skeptical of the newer shaped skis. The sideshow skis perform well in powder, great flotation as there is plenty of surface area to help float through the fluff. Really stable at higher speeds cruising the groomers. The side cut lends to some great carves, GS style turns as well as short slalom turns for the gate chaser wannabees. Great all around ski, I'm impressed and glad I purchased these skis!

I like K2 skis. I had a pair of Mt Baker 188s that were my first "fat" skis at 88mm underfoot. I have much fatter skis now for deep days, but I still want something in my quiver for firm days, groomers and less than 6" of fresh. I also use these as a lighter setup for long tours, corn, and ski-mountaineering. They have the classic K2 characteristics of mellow sidecut, forgiving flex and not-too-heavy/not-too-expensive that I liked about the Bakers. I went down a size from the Bakers as I wanted less weight, don't really plan on skiing deep powder, kick turns are easier (and jump turns too). I'm 6'2", 200lbs and Type III+ skier. They still carve and hold together great at speed. Mounted with tech bindings. 85mm G3 ski crampons just barely clear the waist.

***the skin notch in the tail is a great feature. It is a really secure fit with G3 skin tail attachment. The tips are a solid fit too. Sometimes, it's actually a little frustrating to remove the skins without removing the skis. I think I would probably choose the K2 skins if I didn't already have some G3s that I trimmed down for them.

Just had my first weekend skiing Taos, NM with these SideShows. Being very tall and 210 pds, I chose this ski with a 188 length. It is a very long ski and takes some getting used to when manuvering. They are a little on the heavy side while on the lift. A very good looking ski which recieved many positive comments while on the slopes. They are fast and take some strong legs for transitions, but I really enjoy them and highly recommend to others. EVO definetely the best online retailer for all your snowsport needs.

Bought these skis and the next week took them skiing. Before hitting the slopes I had the skis hot waxed and the edges were good from the factory. My experience with different equipment is pretty limited, but I was skiing on hard pack groomers and these skis performed extremely well. I had plenty of grip. The skis felt extremely solid even on the artificial snow that felt more like a sheet of ice than snow. I can only imagine they will perform just as well or better with in powder.